Air-cooling system for internal-combustion engines



L. B. DOMAN AIR COOLING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Nov. 2 191 X g Q vE/vToR M Get. 2

Patented Dot. 2, 1%23.

hurrah snares attests A LEWIS B. DOMAN, OF EAST SYRACUSE, YORK.

AIR-COOLING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed November as, 1916. Serial no. 133,943;

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS B. DoMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of East S racuse. in the county of Onondaga, in the gtate of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Cooling Systems for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in air cooling systems "for internal combustion engines, as commonly used in motor vehicles, and refers more particularly to the means for automatically controlling the circulation of air through the radiator and around the cylinder of the water-cooled engine.

It is obvious, however, that the same or equivalent apparatus may be used in connection with any internal combustion en= gine which is cooled solely by the circulation of air around the cylinder.

It is well understood that internal combustion engines, such as are used in automobiles, perform at their highest fuel eiliciency when the cylinder walls are kept at or near a certain temperature ;this is usually about 180 F. However, as heretofore constructed automobiles have necessarily been supplied with radiators or other cooling media of sufiicient capacity to prei ent. overheating when operated in summer temperatures, which capacity was much too great (for proper efliciency and operation) when the car was operated under cold or winter conditions. i

In the use of the combined water and air cooling systems, most commonly employed in motor vehicles of this type in cold climates. there is always more or less danger of freezing the cooling liquid in the radiator, particularly when the engine is started cold and immediately driven into a freezing temperature, due to the rapidity of flow of the frost-laden air around the thin walls of the radiator and jacket of the cylinders, thereby stopping the circulation and frequently resulting in leakage or more serious injury to the radiator or engine and their connecting parts. I

Furthermore, even though the cooling liquid may be free to flow through the entire circulating system and the engine and radiator are su ciently warm to prevent freezing of such liquid for a short period 01: time in extremely cold weather, if the englue is stopped for any considerable period of time and the frost-laden air is free to flow through the radiator, the temperature of the liquid therein is soon reduced to the freezing point with the same dangerous results, to say nothing of the inconvenience and annoyance to the operator.

I am aware that thermo-controlled devices have been used to vary the speed of circulation of the cooling water in some automobile motors, but these have been of such design as to vary or stop circulation through the radiators, which allow the radiator to freeze even more quickly than would be the case if the water were allowed -free circulation. By placing the air-controlling means outside the radiator and allowing free circulation of the water, but controlling the supply of air, this very serious objection is overcome.

The primary object, therefore, of my present invention is to provide means controlled by the temperature of the engine or other part of the circulating system for automatically controlling the circulation of air through the passages in the radiator or other passages leading to the interior of the hood usually provided for air-cooling purposes, so that when the engine is cold or until it rises to a certain temperature, these passages will be closed and when the temperature rises above such predetermined degree, the passages will be automaticall opened.

Another object is to utilize the suction produced by the operation of the engine pistons for opening the shutters or closures for the air-circulating passages.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ortion of an internal combustion engine an radiator showing one form of my improved air-cooling apparatus applied thereto, a portion of said apparatus and a part of the intake manifold of the engine being shown in section and the shutters in their closed positions.

Figure 2 is a front end view of the radi= ator and adjacent portion of the same air controlling apparatus.

As illustrated, this air-controlling apparatus comprises a series of blind-shutters 1 arranged horizontally one above the other and hinged at their upper edges at 2-- to the front face of the radiator, as A-, and of suflicient combined area to cover the "entire system ofair-circulating passages therethrough when closed.

The lower edge of the lower shutter is arranged to fold directly against'the front face of the radiator, while the lower edges of the superposed shutters are arranged to overlap upon the front faces of the upper edges of the adjacent shutters, thereby effectively closing the system of air passages through the radiator.

All of the shutters are connected for si multaneous movement by providing their lower edges with outstanding arms -3 which are pivotally connected to upright link or operating bar 4.

The lower end of this bar is pivotally connected to one arm -5- of a bell-crank lever -6-, the other arm 7 of which is pivotally connected to a piston rod 8- of a piston -9 which is movable in a cylinder -10-' for operating the lever 5-- to open the shutters in a manner hereinafter described. I y r r These shutters are normally and automatically closed by means of a spring --11- having one end connected to a radial arm -12- on the bell-crank lever -6 and its other end connected to a lug -13- on the cylinder 10-. H

A pi e -1 l'- is connected at one end to the cylinder 10- and has its other end provided with branches .1 5- and -16,-

the branch -15-- being connected to a relatively small opening 17- inonecnd of an intake manifold '18- of an internal combustion engine -B--, while the other branch -16 is normally open to the atmosphere, but is adapted to be closed by a temperature-controlled valve 19'.

As illustrated, this valve is mounted on one end of a thermal bar 20-- having its other end secured to a suitable support 21 on the engine, the intermediate portion being provided with an adjusting screw -22 by which the valve '19 may be adjusted relatively to the open end of the branch -16. i p

The thermal bar 20- is located within the sphere of heat of the engine or water jacket of the cylinder as forminga part of the circulating system, and. it is arranged so as to normally hold the valve l9 open, while the engine and cooling medium is cold and until the temperature is sufficiently high to require the free flow of the cooling air.

While the valve is in its open position, it is evident that the suction in the intake manifold 18- will simply draw the air through the open end of the branch 16-- and thence through the branch -.15 into spring --1 1-.

eeaaoe in such manner asto close the valve 19 against the open end of the branch -16, thereby closing communication between the intake manifold '-18- and atmosphere and causing a sufficient degree of suction in the pipe -14- and adjacent end of the cylinder 1() to operate the piston 9' for opening the shutters 1-- through the medium of the lever -'-6- and upright bar l"against the action of the retracting The piston and shutters will be held in such position as long as the engine is in operation, and the temperature is such as to hold thethermally-operated valve 19 closed. I

Undertthese conditions, the shutters will be kept open to allow free circulation of the cooling air through the radiator and around the cylinders of the engine, which circulation may be accelerated by the usual .ture of the liquid in the circulating system should be lowered by the inflowing air to such a degree as to restore the thermal bar '20 and its valve 19 to their normal ,open positions, the spring 11- would then close the shutters and hold them closed until,

the temperature again rose to a sufiicient degree to close the valve '-19- and cause the opening of the shutters. I It is, therefore, apparent that the operation of the shutters is rendered entirely au tomatic by the thermally-controlled valve. it is evident, however, that any other equivalent thermally-controlled device for operating the shutters may be substituted for that shown without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What Iclaim is: 1. The combination of an internal combustion engine, a cooling system therefor, means for varying the capacityof the cooling system, a motor for actuating the ca pacity-varying means, having a chamber connected with the intake :of the engine, a port connecting this chamber with the atmosphere, and thermostatic means adapted to close the port, thereb controlling the degree of vacuum in sai chamber.

2. The combination of an internal com-- bustion engine, a cooling system therefor, including a radiator, means including a shutter for varying the cooling capacity of said radiator, a motor actuatedby suction produced by theaction of the engine for operating the shutter, a port connecting the motor with the atmosphere to partially neu closing shutter cooperating with the radiator for varying the capacity of-the cooling sys tem, a piston motor for actuating said shutter, means actuated by the engine" for producing a partial, vacuum in the piston chamber for operating the motor to open the shutter, a port connecting said piston chamber with the atmosphere, and a thermostati'-' cally controlled valve cooperating with said port for controlling the degreeofvacuum in the piston chamber.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th dayof November, 1916.

. LEWIS 1B. .DOMAN, Witnesses:

S. GJBIRDSALL,

STANLEY B. T. WORDEN. 

